Lead Me
by Man of Faith
Summary: What happens when Zack and Cody forgets the meaning of being a husband and father? Will someone be there to remind them of it? *Songfic*


**AN: So this is an idea that I got from listening to one of my favorite new songs. To all who are fathers: Remember, in the midst of storms and hardship, look up to the One above for guidance and remember your place in the family you are called to lead.****

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**Tipton Suite 2540**

It was a typical Monday morning in the large suite that was being owned by the Martin family as each individual member was getting ready for the day. Cody was getting himself ready for a case he had been working on for six months, doing his best to prove his client's innocence even through all the condemning evidence against him. After all the investigations and interviews, Cody, along with Boston PD, knew his client had been set up, but the plaintiffs were very high affluent people in the community, which meant a long and drawn out fight. As he sighed about the long day ahead, he felt a pair of soft arms wrapped around his shoulders.

_I look around and see my wonderful life  
Almost perfect from the outside  
In picture frames I see my beautiful wife  
Always smiling  
But on the inside, I can hear her saying..._

"You're really stressed this morning, is it the trial?" Bailey asked as she tried to massage her husband's worried knots from his shoulders.

"Yeah, I really don't know what else to do. The guy is innocent. I know it, Zack knows it, the damn judge knows it, but because of the loopholes in the laws, we can't tie anything back to the plaintiffs unless they practically gift wrap the case back to us."

"Why don't you take a break and come join us for breakfast? Your family misses you and the kids want their daddy to take them to school today."

"I really want to, but I can't. I've got to get into the office right away and start preparing some of the counter arguments for my closing remarks," Cody said as he got up and started to leave the room.

"Will you be home for dinner at least?" Bailey asked, trying not to cry in the loneliness she and her children felt in not having her husband around lately.

"I'll try," Cody said in a hurry as he left the room, with a weeping Bailey on the floor.

"_Lead me with strong hands  
Stand up when I can't  
Don't leave me hungry for love  
Chasing dreams, what about us?_

Show me you're willing to fight  
That I'm still the love of your life  
I know we call this our home  
But I still feel alone"

**Zack Martin's House**

"He got into trouble again yesterday and Mrs. Moseby doesn't know what else to do with him! She knows he's a good kid, hell this is her own godson she's talking about here, but she can't figure out what is causing him to act out this way!" Maya was yelling at her husband as he tried to get himself ready for work. Being one of the best detectives in Boston, Zack had done his best to work himself into a position where he would be able to fully support and provide for his family and it was one of the achievements he was proud of. Yet, the lifestyle of a top-notch detective means time away from home and with the case that he and Cody were currently on, it meant a lot more time away than usual.

"What do you want me to do about it Maya? You know it's probably just the Martin genes kicking in. Either that or Mrs. Moseby has gotten used to using her husband's method of accusations and direct her first line of attack on a Martin," Zack answered as he tried to make excuses for his son. Truth be told, his eldest was way too much like him in some sense, but he should have had part of his mother's common sense gene kick in enough to override the hooligan in his DNA. As for Mrs. Moseby, the former Queen Tut shouldn't really be that surprised at Jake's (his eldest) antics. Plus, at least he's doing better in school overall than his old man at his age.

_I see their faces, look in their innocent eyes  
They're just children from the outside  
I'm working hard, I tell myself they'll be fine  
They're independent  
But on the inside, I can hear them saying..._

"At least talk to your son about it because he sure as hell ain't saying a damn word to me. I think at times he misses you more than I do and to tell you the truth, I miss you enough as it is."

"I'm just trying to provide for my family here. I have a job to do and through that job, we're able to send the kids to the same school as their cousins, have a roof over their heads, and never ever having to worry about not eating."

"You also have a job as both a husband and a father and honestly, you haven't done a good enough job of that!" Maya yelled back before regretting that statement.

Zack turned around to face her so fast that Maya had no time to react, "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?"

Before Zack could do anything else, he looked at the door saw his youngest, Allison, looking at her parents, especially her father, with the fear of god in her eyes. Zack relented his anger, let out a big sigh and began to leave. As he was walking out the bedroom door, he looked back at Maya and said, "I'm doing my job as both a husband and a father by providing for this family, so don't ever question my commitment to this family."

As Zack left, Maya sunk to the floor, crying and wondering what was going on with her once happy family, with her once understanding and caring husband. As Allison toddled towards her mother and provided a gentle touch, she looked towards the door that her father had left through, only whispering, "Daddy…"

"_Lead me with strong hands  
Stand up when I can't  
Don't leave me hungry for love  
Chasing dreams, what about us?_

Show me you're willing to fight  
That I'm still the love of your life  
I know we call this our home  
But I still feel alone"

**Tipton Suite 2230**

Carey sat on her couch and could only remain silent as she just finished talking to daughter-in-law #2 about her babies. She and daughter-in-law #1 had called within 20 minutes of each other, both crying and doing their best to explain to Carey what was going on with both Zack and Cody. All she could do while sitting there was shed tears, wondering what had happened to her two wonderful boys, who at the day of their weddings, were so in love with their new wives and the idea of having a family. Was the stress at work really getting to them? What can she do? She knew they would blow her off as a mother who is just nagging and would want no part in her advice. As Carey continued to think, she knew at least two people who would be able to reach them. Carey called the first one, who agreed to meet with his partner in helping the twins. As Carey dialed the second number, she wondered if the boys will be receptive of their help.

"Hi Carey, what can I do for you?"

"Kurt, our boys are about to ruin their lives unless you step in."

"What's wrong?"

_So Father, give me the strength  
To be everything I'm called to be  
Oh, Father, show me the way  
To lead them  
Won't You lead me?_

**Cody Martin's Office, Downtown Boston**

Cody and Zack were currently going through the latest case, both smiling a little at the most recent turn of events. It seems as if the plaintiffs weren't as careful as they thought and had left some differences in their testimonies compared to the current evidence. If they can get the jury convinced of this difference, there can be a shadow of doubt cast on the entire case. As they were wrapping up for the night, Cody's secretary buzzed him.

"Mr. Martin, your father and another gentleman is here to see both you and your brother."

"Our father?" Cody wondered outloud, "Send them in and Jenny, you can leave for the night. It's getting late. Make sure to fill out the forms so that I can get you overtime for tonight."

"I'll send them in immediately and thank you Mr. Martin."

"You're welcome Jenny. You've been a great help these past six months. Thank you again for staying late."

A couple of minutes later, walking into Cody's office were none other than Kurt Martin and Marion Moseby, both have a look on their faces that radiated both anger and disappointment, making the twins feel as if they were 12 years old and back at the Boston Tipton.

"Dad, Mr. Moseby, what brings you to my office?"

"Unfortunately, the well being of both of your families. Will you two have a seat? Mr. Moseby and I would like to discuss some stuff with both of you."

"I would love to dad, but I've got to get back to the office to type up this new development for my CO…" Zack began as he got his paperwork together.

"And I got to start heading home, Bailey's waiting for me…"

"BOTH OF YOU STOP, SIT DOWN, AND SHUT UP RIGHT NOW!" Mr. Moseby said in his most terrifying voice, which caused the twins to stop and actually sit down, looking at him with a hint of terror in their eyes.

"Neither of you are going anywhere. Zack, your CO has been told by me that you're taking the rest of the week off to deal with family issues and Cody, Bailey knows you'll be here for a while so she won't be waiting up for you."

Mr. Moseby! How do you have authority to…" Zack began before Moseby answered, "The captain is an old friend of mines by way of croquet. I advised him of the situation and he agrees that time off would be good for your sake. The last thing the captain wants is a broken hearted and down trodden detective, especially his best one."

"What are you talking about being broken hearted? Last I checked, I still have a loving wife and family," Zack said.

"Who you almost hit earlier this morning because of a comment she made, which I might add after hearing everything from your mother, I don't blame Maya one bit for making," Kurt responded.

"I thought you would be on my side of things," Zack mumbled, never realizing Kurt could ever "turn" on him.

"I, your mother, and Mr. Moseby are on whoever side we feel are right and in this case, both you and your brother have been wrong in the treatment of your families."

"And why should we listen to you of all people?" Cody began, "You aren't exactly one to talk dad. You and mom got divorced and mom had to raise us herself. What do you know about how to raise or treat a family?"

"It's because of my mistakes that I know right from wrong in this situation. Boys, I applaud you in doing everything you can to make sure your families are provided for, but there's more to it then just being there for them financially. As a father, you need to also be there to guide your kids so that they will understand right from wrong. As a husband, you need to support your wife, help her when she is weak and look towards her for support when you need it as well. Don't take advantage of what you have; don't be like how I was when you two were growing up."

"Zack, Cody, you both have turned out to be fine young men and as someone who watched you two grow up, I couldn't be prouder of either one of you," Mr. Moseby began as he tried to look at his two former arch-nemesis with pride, "but unless you remember what it means to be a husband, father, and provider, I'm sorry to say that things may not turn out so well for you two in the near future."

Zack looked down at his feet as if he was being scolded like a twelve year old boy, "I never meant to hurt her or the kids. Things have just been so stressful lately, especially with this recent case. I don't know what happened. One minute I love Maya and the kids, the next, I become someone I never intended to be."

Cody was silently crying himself as he began to say, "All she wanted was to have me be at the breakfast table and then spend an extra 5 to 10 minutes taking the kids to school. It wouldn't have been a lot of time out of my way and yet…"

"She loves you, just like Maya still loves you Zack, but you can't keep going down this path. Go home and remember, you're the ones that need to be the leading example for your families," Moseby said as he put an arm around each twin.

"We're all proud of the both of you. Now like Moseby says, go home and be with them."

Both Zack and Cody nodded and left the office with their two fatherly figures, determined to do what is right.

**Zack Martin's House**

Zack peeked in to Jake's room to see that he was asleep. Smiling at the look of his son's face, Zack quietly walked to his bed and stroke his hair gently while moving his hand down to his son's cheek, caressing it gently, trying his best to not wake him up. Zack knelt down and quietly talked to his son as if he was listening.

"Hey buddy, listen I know I haven't been around a lot lately and no one else is to be blamed but me. I'll be taking a few days off the rest of the week and you and I are going to be spending some time together, just father and son. I know my job keeps me away from your mother, you and your siblings, but always know that I'm here for all of you and each one of you holds a special place in my heart. When I'm gone, you're going to need to be the man of the house and that means helping your mother with your younger siblings, not adding more to her grief. I didn't do that for your nana as much as I should have when Uncle Cody and I were growing up, so don't make the same mistake I did. I'll tell you more when you're awake and we spend some time together."

Zack stood up and leaned over to kiss his son on the forehead, "I love you Jake."

"And he loves you too," said a voice from the bedroom door. Zack turned around to see Maya leaning on the wall, wearing a robe while trying to dry her tears.

"Maya…" Zack walked over to her and pull her into his arms while burying his face into her neck, crying.

"Shhh…it's okay…we're okay…" Maya whispered into Zack's ear, knowing that her husband's actions right now showed that he was being steered onto the right path and hopefully will remember what it meant to be the head of the household.

**Tipton Suite 2540**

Cody walked into the suite to see that Bailey had fallen asleep on the couch, seemingly waiting for him to come home. He quietly walked to the children's rooms and made sure they were in bed before going back to the couch and lifting his wife up and carrying her to their bed. Halfway through, Bailey began to stir.

"Cody…" she whispered as she began to wake up.

"I'm right here Bails," Cody answered as he closed their bedroom door with his foot and dropped Bailey gently onto their bed. He sat next to her and looked at the beauty that he was entrusted with the day she said "I do".

"How were things with Moseby and dad?"

"It was a real eye opener for both me and Zack. Neither of us realized what were doing wrong and I really want to apologize for both this morning and lately. I should have looked towards you to help me with everything instead of trying to tackle it all by myself."

Bailey nodded, "this marriage is a partnership Cody. If we can't do this together, then it will fail."

"I know that now and it's not going to be easy, but I'll do my best to be everything you and the kids need me to be."

Bailey nodded, "And you won't fail either because I'll be with you every step of the way."

Cody smiled and pulled his wife into his arms as they lay in bed, together.

_To lead them with strong hands  
To stand up when they can't  
Don't want to leave them hungry for love,  
Chasing things that I could give up_

I'll show them I'm willing to fight  
And give them the best of my life  
So we can call this our home  
Lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone

Father, lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone

_**Lead Me – Sanctus Real**_


End file.
